Steve Mattheis - Sold Sony gear and went all Z9

[FB101]

I think he's jumping the gun big-time not necessarily selling his Sony gear (I know he's always been a Nikon guy) but selling his non-mirrorless lenses. He hasn't even laid hands on the new 400 2.8 but he's already giving up his 600 f4 in anticipation of a lens he doesn't have?

Yes, I was surprised a bit by that. He seemed to be enjoying the Sony 400 f:2.8 a lot so I can see him going 400mm with Nikon as well, and with the built-in TC it will give him 400 and 560mm in one lens... assuming the petapixel findings at long distance are just a pre-release copy fluke - because for his shooting style, if it holds, he'll be in a world of hurt (I personally think it's a fluke but as you said, he's maybe moving a bit fast on that one).

 

[FB101]

Seriously??? I think the A1 EVF is beautiful. I have never noticed any blinking or anything remotely annoying. What am I doing wrong that I think it is so good?

It's very much in the eye of the beholder. If you want to see flaws because you decide to stick with the Z9, then you'll see flaws in the A1 (and vice verse). He is not completely wrong about the A1 viewfinder but it depends on settings. Glass half empty says that with the EVF on 120fps setting, resolution does drop when you activate AF-C (it's true and visible) but glass half full says that at no time does the resolution of the A1 EVF fall lower than the resolution of the Z9. If you are more sensitive to resolution, the A1 will look better, if you are more sensitive to a constant experience that never changes, then the Z9 will look better, and actually the R3 has them both beat in many ways with its OVF mode (until you realize the OVF mode doesn't allow overlay of info in the EVF so it's pretty much useless...)

There is an easy way to get around the problem in the Sony. Jump to Hi+ mode (240hz) which shrinks the VF and drops resolution a bit and in my experience it is very consistent (but it drains battery much faster). So, if you don't mind a slightly smaller view and a faster battery drain, the A1 has the perfect fix. It's all about trade-offs. Nikon addresses it with a low resolution EVF.

That said, the Z9 EVF is much better than I expected, there is something to the claim that their dual data processing eliminated lag - but I could also see that resolution was lower. As often with Nikon, the experience is better than the specs suggest but I wouldn't call this out as a reason to drop the A1 for the Z9 (or the other way around either).

 

[FB101]

i never said it was. i said it was enough to force me to change how i shoot

I agree, I did change the way I shoot because of it. What surprised me (in a good way) is that I didn't notice any negative impact on battery life if I let the camera manage its sleep on/off rather than turn it on/off myself with the switch. BUT it is much faster to wake up from its self imposed "naps" than when I activate the switch. Whatever energy management protocol Sony implemented seems very effective to me.
Took a few weeks but I got used to trusting the camera and so far so good.

 

[abc123brian]

Does that look like 4 or 5 seconds? He claims 4 or 5 seconds

He also said before it takes a shot, not appears to power up. Also said there are some times when it is fairly quick but other times when it is slow mentioning changing lenses, formatting cards, changing batteries. Have you tried those scenarios? I don’t have one to try but perhaps try but is it ready to shoot there and have you tried those scenarios? The Z9 startup time is pretty much instantaneous.

There is no blinking or blackout and it is twice the frequency of the Z9 he might be nuts....lol

I mean some people can see things that others don’t when it comes to this.

 

[jeffnles1]

I agree, I did change the way I shoot because of it. What surprised me (in a good way) is that I didn't notice any negative impact on battery life if I let the camera manage its sleep on/off rather than turn it on/off myself with the switch. BUT it is much faster to wake up from its self imposed "naps" than when I activate the switch. Whatever energy management protocol Sony implemented seems very effective to me.
Took a few weeks but I got used to trusting the camera and so far so good.

My wife and I both use a Sony RX10iv. For her it is her primary. I use it for video. We have found the same thing as you. Just turn the camera on and let it manage sleep wake. It takes far less time to wake up than to turn it on and let it go through the initial boot cycle every time.

 

[FB101]

I actually do power mine off and on a lot. But after watching Mark Smith's video on his setup I have it set to not power down while on. I do turn the lcd monitor off manually with control wheel sometimes just because I don't really need to look at it.

Auto Review: Off
Auto Monitor OFF: Does Not turn OFF
Power Save Start Time: OFF
Auto Power OFF Temp: Standard

I also leave it in airplane mode and it is never connected to any devices. This works for my simple needs.When I am in the field, if I think I am preparing to shoot I turn it on. If I am hiking and don't expect to be shooting I turn it off. It is possible to miss shots when it is off but it's an exaggeration to say 4 to 5 seconds to power.

*I'm not a pro. Steve is a world class photographer and I have admired his portfolio for years. If he said when I turn it on it seems a little slow I would agree but 4 to 5 seconds is crazy talk.

I also have airplane mode on at all times - so far I don't have the camera connect to anything, I'm old school: take the card out, put the card into the reader, import, check 3 times the files are in their various backup locations, delete files on card, put card back in

And I use mark's old A9ii setting with the back screen off at all times, I have one of the directions (left) on the back wheel set to toggle through EVF/LCD if I need the LCD. I also have touch disable so I really don't need the LCD and auto-review off. I do have the temperature setting on high because I shoot often in Florida and I do alternate between stills and video but I have yet to see the heat warning come on.

But I do let the camera go to sleep on its own; so far it hasn't been a bother, it wakes up fast enough for my needs, but if you see Mark shoot, it's understandable why he'd have the auto sleep off, he goes from just chatting with a buddy to shooting in 0.5 seconds all handheld.

 

[FB101]

I know I probably seem like a loon to most people reading this thread (what else is new) since half the posts are mine. I should have started a new thread. But I can not get my A1 to take more than 2 seconds to start up when I power on using my current settings. If I pull the lens or format the card, power down then power up it still starts up under 2 seconds ready to go...

That's because you use normal people seconds, if you use Pro seconds, they are much faster so you get 2 to 3 as many of them for every normal people second. It's a well proven fact, just like when you write Pro on a memory card it automatically goes faster.

 

[Activert]

I watched Steve Mathias video and he made the choice that is best for him. I am a Nikon shooter since I started photography, and I love the Nikon products. I Have not tried any other brand for professional equipment. I did not switch to mirrorless camera and waited for the Z9 instead switching to another brand because Nikon product respond to my need. So everyone has brand preferences and whether we are Canon, Sony or Nikon shooter we have choice to get what we need. All brand are great!

 

[bsinc1962]

No, not really. Who didn't think he'd go with the Z9? He's always been a Nikon guy and since the Z9 is on a par with the A1 and R5, there was little doubt he'd go back to Nikon.

I was just messaging back and forth with him last night about the 600f4. He's very excited about the 400 2.8 with the built in TC. Without that I'm not so sure he switches but that's water under the bridge now.

 

[RikWriter]

I was just messaging back and forth with him last night about the 600f4. He's very excited about the 400 2.8 with the built in TC. Without that I'm not so sure he switches but that's water under the bridge now.

Has he actually had the chance to shoot with one? I know his hadn't arrived yet as of that video.

 

[bsinc1962]

Has he actually had the chance to shoot with one? I know his hadn't arrived yet as of that video.

No, so it is kind of a leap of faith.

 

[cohenfive]

I have four photo buddies (2 pros, two serious amateurs whose opinions I value) who have tried the Z9 for wildife work, and all four are switching back to either Sony or Canon. All for the same reason, the alternatives are much 'stickier' when photographing wildlife against a busy background. If so, that would explain the higher keeper rate with the A1 than the Z9. Not sure how it stacks up against the R3 or even R5 (which is still my weapon of choice). If true, it sounds like an 'easy' firmware fix but nikon needs to get on it.

 

[RikWriter]

No, so it is kind of a leap of faith.

Yeah that's the part that boggles my mind. I know too many people who've decided that one lens or another that hadn't come out yet was the answer to their problems and to a person, they've all wound up selling them because they weren't living up to the hype they'd built up for them. If it were me, I would hold onto my 600 f4 until after I'd shot for a while with the new 400.

 

[RikWriter]

I have four photo buddies (2 pros, two serious amateurs whose opinions I value) who have tried the Z9 for wildife work, and all four are switching back to either Sony or Canon. All for the same reason, the alternatives are much 'stickier' when photographing wildlife against a busy background. If so, that would explain the higher keeper rate with the A1 than the Z9. Not sure how it stacks up against the R3 or even R5 (which is still my weapon of choice). If true, it sounds like an 'easy' firmware fix but nikon needs to get on it.

I'm not that impressed by what I've seen of the R3. If I were going Canon, I'd get the R5.

 

[Whiskeyman]

100% agree. It's funny, I was thinking the same thing on the ergonomics

Also agree that the as1 does better for BIF work too. I've been shooting birds here in FL for the last three weeks and just for fun thought I'd try the a1 this morning instead of the Z9 - noticeable uptick in keepers. The Z9 is great too, but for BIF not quite at the level of the a1. I have some thoughts on why that I'll probably put into a post or video soon (too tired at the moment LOL)

Steve, you've been in Florida for three weeks and I'm just now finding out about it? All of this time where I could have known where you were and followed you around like your shadow. "Hey, Steve!! What are you shooting now?"

On a serious note, I would have considered it a privilege to have crossed paths with you during your travels. Would you care to share any intell on where you've been and how things were looking, wildlife population wise? Or have you already done so, conducting tours and seminars?

As to the subject of what we are most comfortable with, in many cases, our comfort is determined by what we experienced first when using a camera. In the teaching world, this is often referred to as the law of primacy. It's not everything in the equation, but it is part of it. It is part physical and part mental, and is prevalent throughout our life's journey.

 

[Whiskeyman]

I do blink at 120 hz every since the incident...lol

And I'll bet that no one notices, either!!!

 

[Whiskeyman]

That's because you use normal people seconds, if you use Pro seconds, they are much faster so you get 2 to 3 as many of them for every normal people second. It's a well proven fact, just like when you write Pro on a memory card it automatically goes faster.

I did not know that!!! I'm going to go do this with my memory cards this afternoon. Does it require a special pen or marker to get the best card speed?

 

[Whiskeyman]

Yeah that's the part that boggles my mind. I know too many people who've decided that one lens or another that hadn't come out yet was the answer to their problems and to a person, they've all wound up selling them because they weren't living up to the hype they'd built up for them. If it were me, I would hold onto my 600 f4 until after I'd shot for a while with the new 400.

That's because in most cases where photographers blame their problems on equipment, it really isn't the equipment that's the problem.

 

[RikWriter]

That's because in most cases where photographers blame their problems on equipment, it really isn't the equipment that's the problem.

shrug. If you say so. I know these people and I've seen some really great shots they've taken.

 

[LTK]

I find the A1 can be strange , when I first updated to the latest FW the camera seemed to wake up much faster after sleep (mine goes off after 1min ). Lately though it seems to be slower again waking up sometimes, other times it’s quicker so no idea what’s causing the differences. Is it now recommended to press the shutter button whilst it’s up to your eye ? I got used to pressing it whilst lifting it up to my face . I never power it off whilst out shooting although it is pretty quick to start up from power off , certainly much quicker than 4-5 seconds.
I did notice the drop in Res when taking shots with the EVF set to Hi , I’ll admit I found it a little distracting. I then started using it in Hi+ and that’s sorted it

 

[jeffnles1]

I did not know that!!! I'm going to go do this with my memory cards this afternoon. Does it require a special pen or marker to get the best card speed?

I have found a sparkly pink fine point sharpie tends to offer the best speed improvement. Kind of like chrome valve covers add at least 30 HP to an engine.

 

[ssheipel]

FWIW, the a1 grip holds two of those batteries and I have yet to shoot enough in one day to drain them both. I also managed to wipe out my Z9 battery in a single day. Based on what I've seen shooting the Z9 twice a day over the last two weeks and my experienced with the a1 over the last year, my "seat of the pants" estimate is that battery life is at least the same on the a1 with the grip and two batteries, and it may be just a touch better.

In addition, there have been a few times where it was handy to remove the grip (ground shots in muck, the dashboard of a safari vehicle), so although I do prefer an integrated grip, I am warming up to the removable ones too

Was wondering what you'd say about the Z9 battery. My experience, and granted it's been almost exclusively cold weather shooting, is that compared to the D6 battery, the battery sucks Compared to the Z6, it's a great battery.

 

[RugglesZ9]

I think I know what he is talking about but there is a way to bypass the slower startup. He is correct that sometimes it does seem to start slow if you aren't activating the shutter half press or EVF. But if you half press and have your eye to the EVF the startup is almost as fast (maybe just as fast) as the Z9.

If I turn it on from off and have the camera just down at my side and want to access the menu then I've seen at least 3s maybe 4s to wake the thing. But if I turn it on from off with the camera to my eye and start half pressing it seems to get rid of that 3s odd delay.

I have my monitor shut off, and the camera on my hip on a Black Rapid strap, and my hand on the camera to keep it from bouncing. If I see something I might shoot, I just grab the body and with my finger turn on the camera as I sweep it to my eye. By the time I get the viewfinder to my eye it's lit. Maybe I'm just slow on the draw, but even 3s sounds like a stretch.

 

[DavidT]

Does that look like 4 or 5 seconds? He claims 4 or 5 seconds

I don’t have any issues and I don’t shut my camera off once in the field. I also don’t have my EVF set to go off and it’s on 100% of the time. No issues and never depleted both batteries in a day. I’ve got 4 spare batteries and haven’t had to use them.

 

[arbitrage]

I have my monitor shut off, and the camera on my hip on a Black Rapid strap, and my hand on the camera to keep it from bouncing. If I see something I might shoot, I just grab the body and with my finger turn on the camera as I sweep it to my eye. By the time I get the viewfinder to my eye it's lit. Maybe I'm just slow on the draw, but even 3s sounds like a stretch.

At least for my comment I was talking about from totally OFF. So having to hit the power switch to ON. I leave my camera on while shooting and I have my Power Save set to 5mins so most of the time I'm never letting it sleep as I'm usually shooting again under 5mins. If it does enter Power Save then there is a slight delay but as you say if you half press the shutter while raising the camera from your side it will be raring to go once you bring it to your eye. When not in Power Save it is instantaneously activated via the EVF sensor. I run my LCD in "Monitor Off" setting so that only Play or Menu wake it up. If I want to shoot via the LCD I just hit DISP which switches it from Monitor Off to the LCD overlay (I only have Monitor Off and one of the LCD settings selected so I never have to toggle through a bunch of them).

But back to the original wake time, from totally OFF, there can be a 3s or so delay to wake up the menu/LCD. However, what I was suggesting is that if you raise the camera to your eye and half press the shutter while switching the camera ON it will wake almost instantly...maybe 1s delay at most.

When a good friend of mine switched from R5 to A1 he was complaining to me all the time about how slow the EVF was to come on. I made a couple changes to his settings and he STFU after that...way faster than the R5 which sleeps all the time and you can't stop it.

One last thing...with the Z9 it is only fast to wake if you don't let it go to sleep or else you have to remember to half press the shutter while raising the camera (sort of like the R5 all the time and the A1 in Power Save). I eventually stopped it from sleeping so it would wake fast. It was too annoying if I had to remember to wake it on raise.